Cisco, NXP hitch ride with auto wireless startup

LONDON – Cisco Systems Inc. and NXP Semiconductors have invested in Cohda Wireless Pty. Ltd., a specialist in wireless technology and applications for automotive safety. The size of the investment was not disclosed.

The three companies have been collaborating on road-side and in-car wireless communications for some time, and said they will now join forces to offer IEEE 802.11p products for car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure deployment. NXP has taken an exclusive license for automotive applications for the implementation and supply of Cohda radio technologies.

IEEE 802.11p is an amendment to the 802.11 standard that is the basis of Wi-Fi local area networks supporting data exchange between cars and other vehicles and with road-side infrastructure, typically using a frequency band around 5.9 GHz.

Cohda (Adelaide, Australia), was founded in 2004 by a group of research scientists working at the University of South Australia's Institute for Telecommunications Research. Cohda has developed a radio that can provide robust performance in challenging road conditions. This, together with Internet-like, but rapid, transmission of data among vehicles and networks can alert drivers to imminent hazards or traffic congestion.

NXP said the three companies have joined forces to make the Internet of Things a reality for the automotive sector and to create safer driving while improving traffic flow.

They will address both car-to-car (C2C) and car-to-infrastructure (C2I) applications, NXP said in a statement. Cisco has expertise in networking; NXP (Eindhoven, Netherlands) provides wireless transceiver, security and other ICs into the automotive sector. Cohda has experience with traffic management systems.